Water heater controller or system

ABSTRACT

A method of measuring the amount of energy consumed from a water heater having a tank with two or more temperature sensors located a predetermined heights on or in the tank, the method including the step of; for each sensor, determining a corresponding volume of a segment of the tank, measuring the change of temperature at each temperature sensor, calculating the energy for the corresponding volume for each sensor, and summing the energy changes for all the sensors to determine the amount of energy consumed. The energy usage can be recorded with chronological information to construct a usage pattern which can be used for controlling the heater and for providing the user with details of energy usage. The system does not require the use of data derived from a flow meter.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to water heaters, and particularly to themeasurement of energy usage or consumption in water heaters.

The invention can be used to measure the energy consumption of storagewater heaters generally. The invention can be used in conjunction withelectric water heaters, gas water heaters, boosted solar water heaters,and boosted heat pump systems. The invention will be described inrelation to dual fuel or boosted water heating systems; but can also beused with single energy source systems to monitor and/or control energyconsumption. For example, the system can be used to advantage in anelectrically boosted solar water heating system having a storage tanksupplied by a water supply, and delivering heated water to users. Asolar collector can have one or more panels of risers and headers toabsorb solar energy for delivery to the tank. The solar heat energy canbe used directly to heat water in the tank, or the solar energy can beused to heat a heat transfer fluid which delivers the heat energy to thewater in the tank via a heat exchanger.

The invention can also be used in conjunction with water heating systemcontrollers to measure energy consumption on a time-of-day basis, andthis can be used, eg, for heated water demand prediction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Boosted solar water heaters can include a booster heater powered byelectricity. A major advantage of solar water heaters is that theysubstantially reduce the requirement for mains electricity. It isdesirable to reduce or minimize use of the booster heater. When heatedwater is drawn from the tank, an equal volume of unheated water isdelivered to the tank from the water supply. If a large demand for hotwater occurs when no solar input is available, or if the demand exceedsthe rate of reheating available from the solar collector panels, thebooster heater is used to replenish the heated water.

AU2005299246 describes a system and method for measuring the volume ofhot water consumed by measuring the flow of water through the heater.using a flow meter. To implement this, temperature sensors are fitted tothe inlet and outlet of the tank, and a flow meter is required.

A flow meter is an added cost in the manufacture of a water heater. Flowmeters have moving parts and require additional installation. Thus, thisinvention proposes a system for measuring the energy consumption whichdoes not require the use of a flow meter to determine the volume ofheated water consumed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a system and method for determining the amount ofheat energy in a tank by measuring the temperature of the water in thetank without the use of data derived from a flow meter. The inventionalso provides a controller adapted to control water heater.

In one embodiment, the average temperature of the water in the tank canbe determined from two or more temperature sensors, and the heat energycalculated from the known volume of the tank and the specific heat ofwater.

The temperature can be measured at more than one height because thetemperature of the water can be gradated or stratified.

The energy can be calculated from the measured temperatures.

The change in energy can be determined from measurements at differenttimes.

The change in energy can be recorded with the time of the change toprovide a water usage history.

According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a methodof calculating an estimate of the amount of heat energy change in awater heater system tank, the method including measuring the temperatureof segments of the tank, each segment having a known volume, comparingtemperature measurements over time, and calculating the amount ofthermal energy change for each segment, and summing the energy changesfor all segments.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided amethod of measuring the amount of energy consumed from a water heaterhaving a tank with two or more temperature sensors located apredetermined heights on or in the tank, the method including the stepof; for each sensor, determining a corresponding volume of a segment ofthe tank, measuring the change of temperature at each temperaturesensor, calculating the energy for the corresponding volume for eachsensor, and summing the energy changes for all the sensors to determinethe amount of energy consumed.

A further embodiment of the invention includes a controller programmedto operate a water heater according to the methods of the invention.

Sensor readings can be continually monitored.

Sensor readings can be recorded in response to a start event and inresponse to an end event.

A first temperature measurement from each sensor can be recorded when achange of temperature is detected.

The sensor reading can be recorded when a rate of change of temperatureexceeds a predetermined first temperature change rate.

A second temperature measurement can be recorded when the rate of changeof temperature is less than a second predetermined temperature changerate.

The temperature measurement can be taken when the temperature of thewater in the tank has substantially stabilized.

The change in sensor readings can result from heated water being drawnfrom the tank.

The change in sensor readings can result from thermal losses from thetank.

The change in temperature can result from heat energy input to the tank.

According to another embodiment of the invention there is provided awater heating system including a heated water storage tank having two ormore temperature sensors located at predetermined heights on or in thetank, the location of each sensor being adjacent to or within anassociated volume of water in the tank, such that the sensor provides apractical measurement of the temperature of the water in the associatedvolume, the system including a processor responsive to the readings fromthe sensors and their associated volumes to calculate an amount ofenergy resulting from changes in the sensor readings.

The system can include a store associated with the processor, wherebythe processor can store energy consumption information.

The processor can store chronological information associated with energyconsumption information.

According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a hotwater system including:

-   a water storage tank;-   a means of heating water in or delivered to the tank;-   two or more temperature sensors measuring water temperature at    predetermined locations within the tank;-   an electronic controller in communication with the temperature    sensors and configured to measure thermal energy stored in the tank    and to calculate the amount of thermal energy transferred into and    out of the tank.

The temperature sensors can be an array of sensors, each sensorcorresponding to predetermined volumes of water within segments of thetank.

The temperature sensors can be mounted on the surfaces of the tank.

The temperature sensors can be mounted in the tank.

The controller can store information derived from the sensormeasurements so as to retain a record and subsequently use this record,in conjunction with current, ie, contemporaneous, measurements and otherinformation about the system to initiate a water heating cycle to meet apredicted future use.

Information specific to the water heater can be programmed into thecontroller.

The information specific to the water heater can include the volume ofthe tank, the mass of water, the power of the heater element or heatoutput of a burner or heat pump, tank heat loss rate, and otherinformation relevant to the operation and performance of the system.

The controller can output these measurements for use by an informationdisplay device.

The invention also provides a flow-meter-less system and or method andor controller as described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment or embodiments of the present invention will now bedescribed, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the relevant elements of a solarsplit water heating system according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the relevant elements of a roofmounted solar water heating system according to an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-section of a tank of a roof mounted waterheating system according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a temperature chart against which the temperature sensorsof the tank of FIG. 3 can be plotted.

FIG. 5 shows a gas boosted solar water heater according to an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 6 shows an illustrative daily usage pattern.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary flow diagram illustrating the main steps of amethod of recording data when water is drawn from the tank according toan embodiment of the invention.

The numbering convention used in the drawings is that the digits infront of the full stop indicate the drawing number, and the digits afterthe full stop are the element reference numbers. Where possible, thesame element reference number is used in different drawings to indicatecorresponding elements.

The orientation of the drawings may be chosen to illustrate features ofthe embodiment of the invention, and should not be considered as alimitation on the orientation of the invention in use.

It is understood that, unless indicated otherwise, the drawings areintended to be illustrative rather than exact representations, and arenot necessarily drawn to scale. The orientation of the drawings ischosen to illustrate the features of the objects shown, and does notnecessarily represent the orientation of the objects in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT OR EMBODIMENTS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

The invention, at its most basic, utilizes the average temperaturesbefore and after a change in tank energy (ie, input or outtake) and theknown volume of the tank to calculate the change in energy in the waterin the tank. An embodiment of the invention provides a tank with anumber of temperature sensors at different heights and the notionalallocation of an adjacent segment of the tank volume to each temperaturesensor. From this either the average temperature of the water can becalculated so the energy in the whole tank can be calculated directlyusing the average temperature, or the energy of the water in eachsegment can be calculated so the total energy in the water can becalculated.

A system embodying the invention measures the temperature of the waterin the tank and then calculates the heat energy of the water in thetank.

The system can also determine the difference in heat energy in the tankat different times or following identifiable events, such as the startand end of heated water being used.

A number of temperature sensors can be located to measure thetemperature of the water at different heights in the tank.

A log of the temperatures from each sensor recorded against time can bemaintained so thermal events such as use of hot water or activation of aheater can be identified. The energy differential for these events canalso be calculated.

The system can differentiate between thermal leakage and energywithdrawn from the tank by the use of hot water, and can alsodistinguish the input of heat energy into the tank.

FIG. 1 shows a split solar water heating system having a roof mountedsolar collector 1.016, and a storage tank 1.002, usually mounted withina building. The tank can have a water supply inlet 1.006 and a heatedwater delivery outlet 1.004.

The solar heating system can be a direct system in which the potablewater in the storage tank is directly heated in the solar collector, orit may be an indirect system in which an intermediate heat transferfluid is heated in the collector and wherein the heat energy istransferred to the potable water in the tank via a heat exchanger. Thesystem illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a direct system.

The collector may have riser pipes 1.017 with an upper heated waterheader 1.020 from which heated water is delivered to an intermediate orupper portion of tank 1.022, and a lower intake header 1.018 whichreceives water from the lower portion of tank 1.002. The heated waterheader 1.020 is higher than the intake header 1.018 so the heated waterwill rise to the upper header 1.020. A pump 1.028 pumps the waterthrough the collector and tank.

A one way valve or a temperature controlled valve 1.032 can be providedto prevent reverse thermosyphoning when the water in the collectorheader is cooler than the water in the tank.

A processor, such as controller 1.002, is provided to calculate energyconsumption.

The invention uses a number of temperature sensors at predeterminedlocations on or in the tank to measure the temperature of the water inthe tank at the predetermined locations. A plurality of temperaturesensors can be provided on a flexible PCB strip, as described in ourpublished PCT patent application number WO2006053386, which isincorporated herein by reference. The thermo-sensor strip is mountedagainst the external wall of the tank, between the tank wall and thetank insulation so it measures the temperature of the adjacent tank wallwhich is heated by the water in the tank. The volume of water in thetank is always full as it is constantly replenished from the watersupply.

The temperature sensors can be evenly spaced along the height of thetank, so that each sensor provides an approximate average temperaturereading for an equal volume of water, ignoring end effects of the tank.That is, each sensor can provide an average temperature reading for ancylindrical segment of the water in the tank, having a height which isintermediate the sensor and the upper and lower adjacent sensors. Thus,the thermal energy content of each segment of the tank can becalculated.

In case the sensors are not located such that each sensor reports thetemperature of an equal volume, then, provided the adjacent volume ofeach sensor intermediate its adjacent sensors is known, the calculationcan take the differing volumes into account.

Furthermore, where there has been a change in temperature of at leastsome segments of the tank, the amount of energy drawn off can becalculated from the difference in the temperature readings of eachsegment's sensor before and after the water was drawn off.Mathematically, this can be expressed as:Q=M _(n) ·C _(p) ·ΔT  Equation 1where Q=energy in MJ, M_(n)=mass of water in segment “n” in kg,C_(p)=specific heat in kJ/kg K, and ΔT_(n)=temperature change ° C. forsegment “n”.

The total energy drawn off is:Q _(Σ)=Σ^(N) _(n=1)(M _(n) ·C _(p) ·ΔT _(n))  Equation 2where N is the number of segments.

That is, the total energy in the water drawn off can be determined bysumming the energy changes for each segment based on the volume of eachsegment and the corresponding temperature change of the segment.

For a boosted solar water heater system, an electrical heating element1.010 is provided in the tank. The booster heater can be connected to anelectrical supply 1.012 via switch 1.014. The switch can be controlledby controller 1.022.

Depending on the required performance of the booster heater, the elementcan be placed at a height in the tank to provide the requiredperformance. For example, for faster reheating, the element can beplaced nearer the top of the tank to rapidly heat the volume of waterabove the heating element.

In order to minimize the energy requirement of the booster heater, thecontroller can utilize the consumption information derived from thetemperature changes detected by the sensor strip 1.008.

Thus the controller 1.022 can determine the both the energy content ofthe water in the tank and energy usage.

The controller 1.022 can also be adapted to maintain a chronologicaltime-of-day consumption record and can record usage against the time,day of the week and date. This information can be used to determineusage patterns. For example, the controller can store the usage historyby day and date and establish usage patterns for different days of theweek, as well as for different times of year.

The thermal output of the booster heater 1.010 can be recorded in thecontroller to enable the controller to calculate the time required tobring the water to a required temperature. This can be used to determinethe time required to boost the temperature of the water in order to meetthe expected demand for hot water.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a roof-mounted solar water heatingsystem. The tank 2.002 is mounted higher than the upper heated manifold2.020 as this permits the use of thermosyphoning to circulate the wateror heat transfer fluid from the solar collector.

An electric booster heater 2.010 is controlled by controller 2.022 viaswitch 2.014. The switch can be mounted with the tank. The controller2.022 can be a roof mounted device mounted with the roof-mounted waterheating system. Optionally it can be powered by a solar photovoltaicpower supply 2.027 which can incorporate an electric storage cell.Alternatively, the controller can be connected to the mains electricitysupply 2.012 on the mains side of switch 2.014 (dashed outline), so itremains powered when the switch is in the open circuit state.

The controller 2.022 can include a wireless communication link withantenna 2.023 to enable communication with a second controller 2.021.The roof mounted controller can also send its readings from the sensorsto the second controller 2.021.

A thermo-sensor strip 2.008 can be used to measure the temperaturewithin the tank. The sensors can be located at evenly spaced intervals.However, in this embodiment, the sensors are spaced to measure thetemperature of equal volumes of water, as shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a cross-section of a horizontallyoriented tank 3.002 with a plurality of temperature sensors 3.008.1 to3.008.9 located at various positions on the tank wall. Each sensor isadjacent a corresponding imaginary horizontal zone of the tank. Thus,for example, sensor 3.008.1 is adjacent zone 1, and sensor 3.008.9 isadjacent zone 9. The zones are selected so that each correspondingsensor is measures the temperature of an equal volume of water. That is,the cross-sectional area of each section is the same, assuming acylindrical tank. However, as the tank can have curved ends, thecross-section of the zones can be adjusted to allow for this difference.

The borders between the zones can be defined, for example, as thehorizontal plane through the circumferential mid-point between adjacentsensors. The zone with the smallest height is the zone enclosing orabutting the centre of the tank cross-section, as this has the greatestwidth. The heights of the zones increase moving upward or downward fromthe centre zone to compensate for the decreasing width of the zones.

While nine sensors and zones are shown, more or fewer sensors and zonescan be used in other embodiments of the invention.

While the embodiment of FIGS. 2 & 3 describes the sensors as beingallocated to equal sized zones. This is not essential to the invention.Provided the volume allocated to each sensor is known, the energycalculation can still be carried out.

FIG. 4 illustrates a solar water heater system with gas boost. Thesystem is similar to that of FIG. 1, with the electric booster 1.010replaced by a gas heater 4.034. The thermal output of the gas heater canbe recorded in the controller to enable the controller to calculate thetime required to bring the water to a required temperature.

The system can use all the sensors to determine the total energy of thewater in the tank. Each sensor monitors the temperature of its allottedvolume segment. The controller can then calculate the energy in eachsegment and then calculate the total energy in the tank by adding theenergies of the individual segments. The sum of the heat energies can beused to maintain a minimum heat energy when there is no anticipatedusage load. This can be done by switching the heater on or off asindicated by the sensor readings. The minimum level can be preset by theuser inputting the required temperature into the controller. Thecontroller can be programmed to use the usage history to anticipateupcoming demand for hot water and raise the temperature in advance ofthe expected time of the upcoming usage. The user can also be enabled tomodify the operating timetable when changes in the historical usagepattern are planned.

Of course the person skilled in this field will readily understand thatthe temperature sensor readings can be used in alternative methods tocalculate the energy of the water in the tank. For example, total energycan also be calculated from the sensor readings by determining theaverage temperature of the water in the tank, and then calculating theenergy of the whole volume of water in the tank.

Where the sensors monitor equal volumes, the average temperature can becalculated by summing the temperatures of each sensor and dividing bythe number of sensors.

Where the volumes monitored by each sensor are not all equal, theproduct of the temperature and volume for each sensor can be summed anddivided by the tank volume to provide the average temperature. However,this method involves redundant calculation because thetemperature/volume calculation for each segment is effectively thecalculation of the segment energy, and is not the preferred method.

The heat energy values are derived from the sensors. The controller isprogrammed to implement an algorithm to initiate boost to maintain thepreset energy level and raise the temperature in anticipation of a usageof hot water.

Total heat energy in the tank is governed by the thermostat setting.

Using equations 1 & 2, the amount of energy consumed can be calculatedand recorded against the time-of-day, day-of-week, date so a usagehistory can be recorded as shown by way of illustrative example in FIG.6.

The usage pattern of FIG. 6 illustrates a daily demand with three peaks.The data for such a demand plot can be used to identify typical periodsof low and high usage. The controller can use the usage patterns topredict the upcoming loads and can thus operate the heater system tomeet the upcoming demand while minimizing energy input, by, for example,maintaining the temperature of the water in the tank at a firsttemperature when the load is predicted to be nil, maintaining a firstportion of the water in the tank within the required operating range,maintaining a second and larger portion of the tank contents within theoperating range when moderate, and maintaining the temperature of thewater in the tank within the operating range when heavy demand ispredicted. Thus, knowing the present state of the water in the tank, andknowing the input capability of the booster, the controller cancalculate how long it will take to bring the water to the requiredtemperature and start heating the water to the required temperaturebefore the demand occurs based on the time to bring the water to theoperating temperature and the expected demand start time.

For example, a domestic water heating system where all occupants areabsent from the house during the day may have a peak in the morning anda second peak in the evening, but may have little or no demand betweenthese times.

In contrast, a commercial water heating system may have a demand patternwith peaks during the day.

A further example would be the replacement of heat loss from the tank,for example, overnight, at a time satisfying an anticipated usagepattern.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary flow chart illustrating a possible method ofgenerating a usage pattern information according to an embodiment of theinvention.

Because heat can leak from the system even when there is no use of hotwater, it may be desirable to distinguish between temperature changesdue to system losses and demand for hot water. When hot water is drawnfrom the upper portion of the tank, cold water is delivered to the lowerportion of the tank, and the unheated water level will rise up withinthe tank, so the sensors, from the lowest sensor up, will progressivelyregister a rapid temperature change while hot water is drawn from thetank. Accordingly, the system can be programmed to monitor thetemperature at each sensor at 7.072 and to compare the rate of change oftemperature with a first predetermined rate of change of temperatureΔT₁/dt at 7.074 to distinguish between the natural losses and actualusage. ΔT₁ can be equal to or greater then the system loss rate. Wherethe loss rate. If no use is detected, the processor continues to monitorthe sensors.

When the rate of change of temperature indicates that water is beingdrawn off, the processor registers the time at which this usagecommenced at 7.076, and records the temperatures from each sensor at7.078. The temperatures from the sensors are then used to calculate thecurrent energy in each sensor's segment at 7.080, and the segmentenergies are summed at 7.082 to provide the total heat energy at thestart of the use of water. The initial heat energy in the tank isrecorded at 7.084. The processor then checks whether the usage hasstopped at 7.086. This can be done using the step 7.088 to determine ifthe change of temperature is less than a second predeterminedtemperature change rate ΔT₂/dt, and since the test at 7.088 is carriedout after the first pass through 7.086, the processor will first recordthe chronological data (7.076) and temperature data (7.078, 7.080,7.082), and compile usage patterns from this information at 7.084 beforethe process is reset at 7.086. If the usage has not stopped, theprocessor will continue checking at 7.088 until use stops.

A similar method can be used to measure input energy. Thetemperature/time change will be in the opposite sense. When the flowfrom the solar collector is shut off, the input energy will beattributable to the booster heater.

The use of spaced temperature sensors also enables other energy savingmodes of operation, such as partial heating of the water in the tank, inwhich the upper sensors can be used to select a portion of the tank inwhich the water is to be maintained within an operating temperaturerange, as disclosed in our copending Australian patent applicationAU2005294105. FIG. 5 is a temperature chart showing a possiblealternative mode of operating a water heater using the temperaturesensors and controller of the present invention. In particular, theoperating mode could be used to heat only an upper portion of the tankto operating temperature. This mode could be derived from the historicaldata records or it could be programmed by the user, for example when thenumber of users of the hot water system changes. In the figure, only thefirst and last of the temperature sensors 5.008.1 to 5.008.9 areindicated along the abscissa to avoid clutter in the drawing. This chartshows booster trigger points for turning the booster on or off. This isused in conjunction with the usage pattern to minimize the energyconsumption.

The line 5.052 represents the temperature of the water in the tankderived from the temperature sensors.

The controller can be programmed to maintain a minimum predeterminedheat energy value by supplying and removing power to the heater whenthere is no anticipated usage of hot water. The user can adjust thisminimum value. As the time of an expected usage approaches, thetemperature and stored energy are raised in anticipation of the expectedload.

The dash-dot-dot lines 5.044, 5.046 show the desired output temperaturerange. Thus, when the heater is in use, at least the top segment (ZONE 1in FIG. 3) should be maintained within this range as the heated wateroutlet (eg, 2.004 FIG. 2) is drawn from this zone.

The curve 5.052 represents an example of the sensor readings at aparticular stage of usage.

The curve 5.040 indicates a minimum temperature to be maintained againsteach sensor. If the temperature of a sensor falls below this line, thebooster heater can be turned on unless the usage pattern indicates thatthere is negligible demand at the time, or when the heating system hasbeen switched to a stand-by mode by the user, for example when thebuilding is to be vacant for some time.

Thus, the historical data of the total energy of the tank, derived fromthe temperature sensors can be used to determine when to initiateheating in anticipation of expected usage, while the temperature sensorscan be used in real time to select a portion of the tank to be heated ifit is not desired to heat the whole tank.

In this specification, reference to a document, disclosure, or otherpublication or use is not an admission that the document, disclosure,publication or use forms part of the common general knowledge of theskilled worker in the field of this invention at the priority date ofthis specification, unless otherwise stated.

In this specification, terms indicating orientation or direction, suchas “up”, “down”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “left”, “right” “upright”,“transverse” etc. are not intended to be absolute terms unless thecontext requires or indicates otherwise. These terms will normally referto orientations shown in the drawings.

Where ever it is used, the word “comprising” is to be understood in its“open” sense, that is, in the sense of “including”, and thus not limitedto its “closed” sense, that is the sense of “consisting only of”. Acorresponding meaning is to be attributed to the corresponding words“comprise”, “comprised” and “comprises” where they appear.

It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined hereinextends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individualfeatures mentioned or evident from the text. All of these differentcombinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.

While particular embodiments of this invention have been described, itwill be evident to those skilled in the art that the present inventionmay be embodied in other specific forms without departing from theessential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments and examplesare therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive, and all modifications which would be obvious to thoseskilled in the art are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A water heating system having: a tank; twoor more temperature sensors, each located at predetermined heights on orin the tank; a heating arrangement for heating water in the tank; and acontroller adapted to control said heating arrangement: wherein thecontroller is adapted to determine an energy consumption in said tank tocontrol an operation of said heating arrangement, by the followingsteps: for each sensor, allocating a volume of a corresponding segmentof the tank; measuring a change of temperature at each temperaturesensor wherein said change of temperature at each temperature sensor isrecorded in response to a start event and in response to an end event;calculating energy for the corresponding volume for each sensor; andsumming energy changes for all the sensors to determine the amount ofenergy consumed; whereby said controller controls said heatingarrangement to produce an energy input to said tank to replace an amountof energy consumed.
 2. The water heating system as claimed in claim 1,wherein the controller continually monitors sensor readings.
 3. Thewater heating system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first temperaturemeasurement is recorded from each sensor when a change in temperature atone of the sensors is detected.
 4. The water heating system as claimedin claim 1, wherein the sensor reading is recorded when a rate of changeof temperature exceeds a predetermined first temperature change rate. 5.The water heating system as claimed in claim 3, wherein a secondtemperature measurement is recorded when the rate of change oftemperature is less than a second predetermined temperature change rate.6. A method of regulating energy in heated water in a water heatingapparatus in a manner independent of flow of water through said waterheating apparatus, said water heating apparatus comprising: a tank tohold heated water including two or more temperature sensors each locatedat predetermined, spatially separated heights on or in the tank; aheating arrangement for heating water in the tank; and a controlleradapted to control said heating arrangement in accordance with changesin computed energy of said heated water in said tank, said methodcomprising: for each sensor, allocating a volume of a correspondingsegment of the tank; and measuring a change of temperature at eachtemperature sensor wherein said change of temperature at eachtemperature sensor is recorded in response to a start event and inresponse to an end event; configuring said controller to perform stepsof: calculating energy of each said corresponding volume for each saidsensor; approximating energy changes in each said corresponding volumefor each said sensor; summing energy changes resulting from saidapproximating step for all the sensors to determine the amount of energytransferred from said tank; and controlling operation of said heatingarrangement to increase total energy in said heated water in said tankby an amount substantially equal to said energy changes resulting fromsaid summing step; whereby said controller controls said heatingarrangement to produce an energy input to said tank to replace an amountof energy consumed.
 7. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein thecontroller continually monitors sensor readings.
 8. The method asrecited in claim 6, wherein sensor readings are recorded in response toa start event and in response to an end event.
 9. The method as recitedin claim 8, wherein a first temperature measurement is recorded fromeach sensor when a change in temperature at one of the sensors isdetected.
 10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the sensorreading is recorded when a rate of change of temperature exceeds apredetermined first temperature change rate.
 11. The method as claimedin claim 10, wherein a second temperature measurement is recorded whenthe rate of change of temperature is less than a second predeterminedtemperature change rate.
 12. The method as recited in claim 6, whereinthe controller is further adapted to record chronological data forenergy consumption information together with the calculated energyconsumption.
 13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein saidcontroller is adapted to determine a usage pattern from the energyconsumption information and the chronological information.
 14. Themethod as recited in claim 13, wherein said controller controls saidheating arrangement to start heating water earlier than an anticipatedusage start time.
 15. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein saidheating arrangement includes a solar energy collecting panel and abooster heater.
 16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein saidsolar collecting panel transfers heat to said water by a heat transferfluid.
 17. A water heating system having: a tank; two or moretemperature sensors, each located at predetermined heights on or in thetank; a heating arrangement for heating water in the tank; and acontroller adapted to control said heating arrangement: wherein thecontroller is adapted to determine an energy consumption in said tank tocontrol an operation of said heating arrangement, by the followingsteps: for each sensor, allocating a volume of a corresponding segmentof the tank; measuring a change of temperature at each temperaturesensor; calculating energy for the corresponding volume for each sensor;and summing energy changes for all the sensors to determine the amountof energy consumed; whereby said controller controls said heatingarrangement to produce an energy input to said tank to replace an amountof energy consumed; and wherein the controller is further adapted torecord chronological data for energy consumption information togetherwith the calculated energy consumption.
 18. The water heating system asclaimed in claim 17, wherein said controller is adapted to determineusage pattern from the energy consumption information and thechronological information.
 19. The water heating system as claimed inclaim 17, wherein said controller controls said heating arrangement tostart heating water earlier than an anticipated usage start time.
 20. Amethod of regulating energy in heated water in a water heating apparatusin a manner independent of flow of water through said water heatingapparatus, said water heating apparatus comprising: a tank to holdheated water including two or more temperature sensors each located atpredetermined, spatially separated heights on or in the tank; a heatingarrangement for heating water in the tank; and a controller adapted tocontrol said heating arrangement in accordance with changes in computedenergy of said heated water in said tank, said method comprising: foreach sensor, allocating a volume of a corresponding segment of the tank;and measuring a change of temperature at each temperature sensor;configuring said controller to perform steps of: calculating energy ofeach said corresponding volume for each said sensor; approximatingenergy changes in each said corresponding volume for each said sensor;summing energy changes resulting from said approximating step for allthe sensors to determine the amount of energy transferred from saidtank; and controlling operation of said heating arrangement to increasetotal energy in said heated water in said tank by an amountsubstantially equal to said energy changes resulting from said summingstep; whereby said controller controls said heating arrangement toproduce an energy input to said tank to replace an amount of energyconsumed; and wherein the controller is further adapted to recordchronological data for energy consumption information together with thecalculated energy consumption.